Welcome to my humble online abode! I hope you enjoy my blog; my goal is to write about my life, but with the focus pretty well set on the recipes I try out on my unwitting family. You see, I LOVE to cook; I may not be a master chef or a foodie, but I do enjoy spending time in the kitchen and creating something amazing.
This seemed like a good time to start writing because I recently made a cookbook...no, not a professionally published book or anything like that. I actually used one of those photobook creator sites to compile my favorite recipes (and some I've never made before) with photos I found on the web, so the whole thing is a bound, hardcover book with a fancy-pants cover and all. So very cha, I know. Anyway, since getting it printed, I have spent a lot more time in the kitchen, and this is a good way for me to keep track of my own feedback and that of some of the people who received copies of it.
Since it's late, I think I'll just say a few words about the dish I made for dinner this evening and call it a night. So here goes!
One of my favorite comfort foods is Beer Cheese (or Ale & Cheddar, for the hoity-toity) Soup, but I've only ever ordered it at a restaurant (or at the Renaissance Festival, but that hardly counts). Since I love it, I thought it would be pretty safe to include it in my book without first testing the recipe...now I'm questioning that decision! In my search for the perfect version, I settled on one that was simple enough, but included ingredients to give it more depth than, say, the Cheez Whiz-Miller Lite combos (yes, they're out there, and yes, they frighten me as much as they do you).
On the whole, it was a strong recipe, but could use some tweaks to fit our tastes a little better. For example, it calls for a half pound each of Cheddar and Stilton cheeses...I'll be honest and say that, for me, Bleu cheese has its place, and that place is in the dressing on the side with my buffalo wings. However, I thought it would add a nice bit of tang to the soup, so I followed the directions to the T. I quickly discovered that the amount of Stilton could easily be cut in half; I was disappointed that it totally overpowered the delicious Cheddar I picked out especially for the soup. The recipe author also called for parsnips, something I have never purchased before. I'm not sure if these added to or took away from the flavor. I'm on the fence; unfortunately, the Stilton was so stinkin' (ha ha, get it?) overpowering that it was difficult to discern all the other flavors.
This definitely wasn't the greatest thing I ever made, but it sure was pretty with the crusty bread!
I'm planning on revamping it a bit to change out the beer and (obviously) cut out about half of the Stilton; I WILL conquer this recipe!
Until the next adventure...
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